Misty Avila

Misty is the Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at the James B. McClatchy Foundation. With deep family roots and over 15 years of nonprofit experience in the Central Valley, she is committed to uplifting communities and advancing a multiracial democracy. She supports the Foundation’s spend-down strategy, focusing on community-powered local journalism, multilingual education infrastructure, and nonprofit leadership. Misty works to shift philanthropy toward more equitable practices that center community voices and strengthen local leadership. She is on the founding team of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing local news with community. Through partnerships with media outlets, she has helped fund for over 20 journalist positions and launch programs to cultivate the next generation of reporters in the region. With a background in nonprofit leadership, capacity building, and community organizing, Misty has facilitated over 100 convenings in multiple languages across 11 countries, covering issues from immigration to youth media. She serves on the boards of Aspiration, Journalism Funding Partners, and the California School Age Consortium (CalSAC).